A blog mainly about odd German 45 rpm records. New records every Thursday.

Sometime this week I hit the mark of 100.000 “total views”. Whatever that means. It still feels kinda good. It looks like a whole lot of people are reading my blog. Thanks dear readers! Pretty strange considering some of the weird records that I`ve posted since I started in November 2007. Or is it, as I`d like to think, because of that?

Last week it was the Hully Gully this week it`s Madison Time. Another early 60`s dance craze. The music on these records ranges from Pop, Jazz, Easy Listening, Novelty to some real fine Rock`n`Roll.

Initially I started to buy these dance records because they were left behind by more serious Rock`n`Roll or Beat collectors who considered them to be only weak versions of the real thing. And it`s true most of them are. I guess I`m not much of a gourmet. I thought the left-overs tasted pretty good and then I got used to the cheap diet. And some of them are actually not so bad…

Al Brown`s Tunetoppers did the original Madison and initiated the dance craze. There are some great lines here done by Cookie Brown:

Oh, the line sure swings
The cat’s a Madison king
The line is nice and strong
Couldn’t catch a single cat wrong

Madison Time is basically the same song as The Madison with changed lyrics and calls by Eddie Morrison. Maybe a little more refined and less aggressive. Ray Bryant`s Madison Time was one of the few Jazz records that hit the top of the Pop charts. But just like Al Brown`s version this still has a black touch. It´s basically Jazz music done by a accomplished Jazz musician.

Here you can see the song and the dance performed in the film Hairspray (1988) by John Waters:

This is a German version of Madison Time with instructions in German and a instrumental b-side. Of course it`s considerably less cool. Instead of “Rock on, you´re looking good” the caller says “Sehen Sie, prima machen Sie das!” (There you go, well done, Sir!).

Both sides credit a Osterwald, so I assume the Swiss musician and bandleader Hazy Osterwald was behind this group or at least co-wrote these songs. It sure sounds like it too: Hallo Inspector Madison is a pretty funny Madison song sung in German. Night-Club Madison is a song by the Chakachas.

These sides credit a Kuhn so again I believe it was Paul Kuhn who was playing in Jonny Teupens group. This is easy listening instrumental Jazz music with a Madison beat. Music to make some light Half Turns and Boss Turns to on Sunday mornings..

A nondescript record sleeve: some landscape and no info. All other text on the label written in a language you can`t read. You can`t even read the letters. Why did I buy this? Because I like surprises and how could a record be more puzzling!? That`s my favorite type of record!

I don`t know where I got it from but I used to buy a lot of East-European records in the 90`s. When I saw a Balkanton record I bought it. With what I can remember from my Russian class 25 years ago I can barely read the letters. This was still easy. This is a Bulgarian Madison song played by a Jazz group that is trying to do Rock`n`Roll, including nice guitar, saxophone, piano and acoustic bass solos. Does that sound good? It does to me…

About me:
My name is Andreas Michalke. I´m a cartoonist from Berlin, Germany and I like collecting records. Most of the records I find in thrift stores or at flea markets here in Berlin. I like a lot of music but I thought I`d focus on odd German records. Preferably with cartoon covers.
All my scans are high-resolution. If you double-click on them they will get much bigger.

1. I will not use material, that is already available in digital format elsewhere.

2.The artists I present are either anonymous or pseudonymous or dead or no longer active.

3. I feel that if nobody has cared to reissue a record in 50 years, it is fair to present it.

Note: Please don´t ask for re-ups. I don´t have time for that. What´s gone is gone.